Culture Shock

Returning to Civilization: Realizing you can have once again all the things you learned to live without.

I've been back in the Real World for a few days now, and I still feel odd. There are a few things that I'm remembering I can have. Some things I'm glad to be done with for a while, I need a break from pb. I have to remember how to act like a normal civilized person again.

1. No more camp food. I was so excited to finally be able to buy FRESH fruits and veggies! -I got burnt out on peanutbutter. It was all I ate for lunch every day, and sometimes with breafast. I am also swearing off dried fruit and bagels for a while. - And then at the store I remembered that I could buy more food than just what I could carry. I also had to run back when I recalled I could now buy eggs and milk and butter.

2. Now I have to look up more recipes because I now have ingredients to bake things, and cook good food. And I can use more than just one pot!

3. I also had to make myself use dishes and utensils. I got used to the spork/hands method of inhaling food, and just eating out of the pot to save dishes.

4. Not going to bed with the sun (or being woken up by it). Back into the dancing world and I get tired now. I'm not used to late hours anymore.

5. Funny thing about food. I have to remind myself when to eat, and that I can have snacks. When you're in the woods for so long, everything is rationed and I know exactly what I can eat each day and where I can give and take in my rations depending on the day. Now I'm sitting around a lot at the moment and I'm not on a hunger schedule anymore. And I don't have to feel bad about buying something to eat, because I don't have to carry it anywhere.

6. I took my boots off and shoved them deep into the closet. My feet are really happy to be out of those shoes for a while.

7. Wearing real clothes. I wore two outfits the whole summer. Work clothes & camp clothes. Now I have options, and variety, and it is possible to dress up again. I do have to remember to glance in the mirror before I leave the apartment though. A whole summer without really noticing what my crazy hair was doing (I just stuck it in braids and let it be) and it didn't matter that I wore the same thing for 2 weeks straight.

8. Language. When you're on the trail civilized talk has the tendency to just fly out the window. Especially because in a lot of situations swearing is very apt (as in yelling at a log that won't move, or when you fall, or when scary things happen).

9. My wonderful bed. I don't miss sleeping on the ground, although I love my big agnes. But it's such a luxury to have a real bed (and a real pillow- I rolled up my fleece all summer and used that).

10. I can drink more than water. And I don't have to filter or treat water. And plenty of it is always available.

11. Hot showers. (and soap). Anytime I want. No bathing in creeks or lakes for a while.

12. I don't have to ration the pages in my book. I can call people and use the internet once more, all I want. In two days I've seen hundreds more people than I would have seen in two weeks on the trail. I got used to working with only one or two people, at most there would be four of us w/ an occasional visitor. (Must remember how to have civilized conversations again, social protocals, and all that nonsense that human interaction involves).

Trail Wisdom

After a whole summer trekking through the Glacier Peak and Sawtooth Wildernesses, I covered about 317.5 miles of tread, and learned a few invaluable lessons in the journey.

Trail Wisdom

-The answers to most of life's questions tend to be: Up & Drink Water
-Rocks are slippery
-Logs are slippery too for that matter
-Jump in every lake and creek you can
-Camp shoes make life better
-One pot wonders can be miraculous
-Tapatio makes anything edible
-Desserts are a necessity
-Berries can make any day better
-Look at the stars when you can
-Soap is an unnecessary luxury
-It doesn't matter how much dirt you're covered in, as long as everyone around you is covered just as much as you
-Don't pee uphill
-Hike and work only during the cool parts of the day
-wear sunscreen
-Bring aloe vera just in case
-Rocks, moss or leaves are better than TP
-Watch your feet
- Always attempt the no cut method first (when dealing with logs on the trail)
-Duct tape works wonders
-Pause to enjoy the view
-Hike naked
-Never separate yourself from your lunch
-If you pack it, use it
-Sometimes it's okay to be geographically misplaced
-Use a stick when crossing creeks
-Hide in trees and tell ghost stories when thunder and lightning are overhead
-The flattest spot for a tent is usually in the middle of the trail
-Keep your camera in your pocket at all times
-Always bring a book
-Toss objects instead of passing them
-Don't sit too close to the fire
-Read alouds are awesome
-If you smile while working you get dirt in your teeth
-Any log is moveable with enough willpower
-Sunglasses are eyesavers (in snowy fields)
-Boat rides are for napping
-If you hear a noise at night, wiggle and that noise will frantically gallop away
-Hanging food is about rodents, not bears
-Both up and down are equally dreadful
-Meandering trails are best
-Making a loop is the way to go
-It is possible to trudge up
- any peak, just keep putting one foot in front of the other
-Safety naps promote productivity
-Eat icecream every chance you get
-Campfires make us feel like they keep the bugs away
-The day you don't have your raingear with you, you will get soaked
-Carry a deck of cards
-Unruly hair can live in braids for weeks quite nicely
-Don't leave camp with out shoes
-Relish the good moments
-The bad moments become good stories
-The good times become great dreams, and they are what continually call us back to the wild.

Tour 8

(Our mission was to logout Company and Devoure and brush both trails. It's a 30 mile loop. We also included a bushwack down to Holden village for dinner & what was going to be a tool exchange)

Day 1.
Kenny and I declared it was tie-dyed Tuesday and we wore our awesome new Holden shirts to the office. We had one more Mandatory training to get through- it was rather ridiculous and boring- we also had to get fingerprints- none of what we were doing today would be applicable until we were finished w/ the season.
The officer taking our prints let us check out the jail- which hasn't been in use for 5 years- and offered to lock Kenny up, but he would have just taken a nap and enjoyed himself too much.
To distract from the boredom of training, we went and made trail t-shirts that say 'Take a Hike'. Kristian made the design complete w/ a shield w/ an axe and shovel.

Day 2.
Waited to pack until 11 last night. I guess I had other things to do (like eat icecream and go swimming)
We get to Stehekin, check out the visitor's center, eat lunch at the bakery, and then sit at the Company Creek trailhead for a while wishing we were somewhere else. It was 100 degrees.
None of us had been on this trail before, so we didn't know what to expect, but we had heard stories of legendary trees and swimming through nettles that were 7 ft tall.
I didn't make it very far up the trail before I felt like I was dying. Sweat was pouring off me, I wanted to throw up the bakery food and my head was pounding. It was torture to take 10 steps. I finally catch up to Halden who is taking a break and we decided to literally take a safety nap and wait out the heat of the day (we have often joked about safety naps, but now it was necessary).
We started moving maybe an hour or so later and after 10 steps I felt like I was dying again- I was considering just collapsing on the trail and camping there for the night. The crew could find me later. But after 2 more breaks, and a few pills, I felt like I wanted to live again. I caught up to Halden and he said Kenny and Kristian weren't too far ahead of us. We were all really low on water and desperately searching for a stream. Our original intent for the day was to clear the trail up to 5 mile camp, that quickly changed to just getting to camp, and then that changed to just finding water and camping at the first available flat spot.
Found water about 2.5 miles up, and then we entered the jungle. The stories about the nettles were true. My longsleeves were buried in my pack, so I was trying to hike w/ my arms above my head, which didn't help my balance, & I fell into the nettles even more.
Made it through the jungle after a slight detour of losing the trail and hacking through more nettles. Started searching for a reported camp, but found none, so we trudged on another mile and a half and finally made it to 5 mile camp and Hilegard creek.
We started the hike at 1430 and didn't make it to camp until 2000. It was ridiculous. It was a very long 13 hour day and none of us were happy campers. The hike was only 5 miles, but it seemed like 10 and felt like 15. I do not love this trail. I think we should leave it to the wilderness which has already taken over most of it. Next time it's 100 degrees, I am going to refuse to hike.

Day 3.
We started work late in the morning, Kristain and I were the saw team, Kenny had a silky, and we left Halden to do what he wanted with a silky and a machete. We didn't get too far down the trail, but we did find a nice shady spot by a creek for lunch. Kenny was reading Watership Down and Kristain asked him to read aloud, so we took turns reading a chapter and passing the book around. It was a nice 2 hour lunch and we escaped the nasty heat. We didn't finish all the work on the first section of the trail, but no one seems too concerned yet (although we have 30 miles of tread to cover).
When we finished work around 1800 they sent me down the trail to find Kenny, just because he had the book.
We heard a rumble this evening and were all angry when we recognized it as thunder, but although we saw lightning, the storm itself was far from us (we guessed it was in Agnes Creek). We read late into the night, passing the book around the campfire. We really wanted to know what would happen to the rabbits, but we'll have to wait I guess. At the end of the night when we decided it was time to call it in, even Halden grabbed the book (he had not been participating up to this point) and he read one more chapter, but we still did not reach a conclusion.

Day 4.
We moved back down the trail in our same order again. I had a little too much fun rock climbing on my days off, so I got to saw w/ only my right arm both yesterday and today. Not as much fun when you can't switch arms.
Our breaks were highlighted by our story all day. A chapter at breakfast, and a few during lunch, and more after dinner and into the night. We took lunch in a really ancient cedar grove we found when we were searching for the mythical camp at 3.5 miles the first day. The trees are huge. Almost as big as redwoods. It's somehow soothing leaning against such ancient wisdom as we eat our lunches and let our minds travel over meadows with rabbits.

Day 5. A Most Adventurous Day
The morning started with a very cold creek crossing. We packed up camp and sat on the bank dreading the inevitable. Finally, with pants and boots draped over my neck, and a stick in my hand for balance, I braved the icy waters- wading thigh deep across. Kristian and I spent a while on the other side hollering and trying to get our legs and feet unnumb- yelling does seem to help.

The four of us steadily work our way up the trail, splintering further away from each other as we run into work. Kristian and I ended up in the lead after leaving Kenny to wrestle a tree. We round a bend and Kristain, in front, stops and says 'bear'. I stop behind her, almost running into her, have just enough time to register a cub in a tree and another bear below, when mama charges.
The swearing and the shouting commence. Kristian is backing up and I'm tripping over myself trying to get out of her way and back up myself. I half fall into the bank and I'm like a turtle turned on its shell. Completely defenseless and weighed down by my pack. And the bear is charging. I right myself and join Kristian in yelling 'NO!' which strikes me as an odd thing to yell at a bear, but I yell anyway. Kristain has dropped her pack and pulled out the pulaski (to shake more than to defend with). I keep my pack on to look bigger and am yelling 'radio, radio'. This was all I could think of, let the guys know there's a bear after us- so someone knows what happened. The bear started maybe 100 ft away, charges up real close, then swerves right below us on the trail, makes a half circle and runs up over the ridge. (It is important to note that all this happened in a few seconds, and the event takes longer to describe than to occur).
Kristian pulls out the radio and calls Halden- he sounds way too calm compared to our shaky selves. A moment later Kenny comes up the trail- He says he heard a bizarre yelling and thought someone had broken a leg. We gather our wits and in response to the adrenaline, along w/ shaking limbs, we start cracking up. Both of us agreed we had never been that scared in the woods before.
The creek we were heading towards for lunch was only another few minutes hike, but I was wishing it was much further away. Especially because mama was still up on the ridge, and the cub was below the trail, and we had to walk thru there.
But we read our book during a leisurely lunch, annoyed only by biting flies, which we killed mercilessly.
Midafternoon, we came upon an avalanche shoot with a mess of logs to clear out. As we're working (with the horrible 71/2 ft saw- the guys were using my 51\2 ft saw) Kristian gets gouged by a tooth and I get to play doctor with butterfly closures and duct tape. She loses her drive to work, so we head up the trail to search for a camp. It was rather amusing to attempt to strap the giant saw on my pack and then hike with it. The U kept falling over my head. I was hiking w/ a 2 ft halo swaying above me.
Our luck with this trail gets worse. I managed to trip a few times, landing on my hand once and now my pinky finger won't move, although Kristain had already fallen twice today, so we thought our quota was in.
We then lost the trail. One moment it was there, and the next we were wandering up and down the creek bank, jumping across it, and back again, searching the ground for a sign. Eventually the guys joined us in the search and Kenny found the trail. Camp came quickly, but we saw bear prints by the water source- a big paw and some small prints. We're hoping mama bear won't pay us another visit. Our tents are rather close, on the one spot of flat ground the camp has to offer, and we're thinking a bear is most likely to get Kenny- because he keeps his food in his tent.
Our campfire and our book keep us warm and happy tonight. (Halden even got mad when we were going to stop reading before he got to read his chapter). While the cold nights of late August remind us of the coming fall.

Day 6.
We worked both ends of the avalanche mess we found yesterday. Our game for the day was 'Who can get covered with the most pitch'. Kristian won hands down. The sap and branches were a mess, but it smelled like Christmas while we worked.
In the afternoon we hiked above our camp to clear the way ahead. The guys left Kristain and I to wrestle with a tree, only to return shortly with good and bad news: we weren't going up the pass today- it's ridiculously steep, and they found a perfect flat meadow spot for a 'Safety Meeting' Kenny says as he whips out Watership Down.
There is a fire over the next ridge (every time we check in they ask us to leave our radios on for updates) and the smoke is filling up our valley. The view we might have had as we hiked up into a basin was smothered by a haze of smoke. We found alpine blueberries today- very small plants with amazing berries. The smoke and chill in the air that comes as soon as the sun leaves keep reminding us of fall. As soon as we leave the campfire ring, the cold surrounds us, each breath seen in the night air.

Day 7.
There was frost this morning. Packed up, paused at the bottom of the pass, then steeled ourselves and climbed. The general remark when we were all at the top was 'that wasn't so bad'. We enjoyed a few alpine blueberries as we triumphed over our victory of the pass. Kept hitting work as we moved thru 10 mile basin. It's annoying to find a lot of logs when we're moving with our packs and we have a goal in mind. The general idea was to hit the junction to Devoure and bushwack over to 10 mile creek trail and bump down to Holden for dinner.
We finally hacked our way to the junction, then had a quick pack rearrangement as we assessed what we really needed to take with us in our brains for an overnighter- tevas were necessary, but sleeping bags were not.
The bushwack wasn't too bad, part of it was an old trail, and only one tree bit me. Then we sprinted down to Holden and made it just in time to eat the scraps from dinner. We lived it up for our one night stay: toast, raided potty patrol for clean clothes, hot shower, icecream, chatted w/ some people in the pool hall, popcorn, we found an empty media room and finished watership down, then at 2300 put in the movie Swiss Family Robinson, and fell asleep inside w/ some sleeping bags we found at the Hike Haus.

Day 8.
Didn't sleep too well, the movie had an annoying kid in it that you couldn't tune out, but I took a body pillow from a couch in the hall and it made the night better- although I was wishing for my big agnes.
Got a wake up call from Halden early in the morning, pancake breakfast, then hung around waiting for the guys to be ready to go back up the trail. Eventually, Kristian and I just left. We weren't looking forward to the steep hike and bushwack ahead of us, but once again, it wasn't so bad. Made it up the 3.5 miles in only 1.5 hours.
Once again we found more work than we wanted. We were hoping to get to camp early at least once this trip. Our campsite was in a small clearing, and for once we were camped where we could see the stars. Saw a porcupine in camp-it was pretty cool, rather large, first porcupine I've seen over here. Kristian started reading Of Mice and Men and it was great to listen to her and stare up at the sky- knowing we'll be out of the woods tomorrow.

Day 9.
Woke up this morning and Kristian asks 'Ready for a 9 mile birthday hike?' Downhill the whole way- feet, calves, and shins are now in mutiny. The first bit of the hike was rather pleasant, we were clearing as we hiked, and then the trail got really brushy w/ lots of switchbacks.
We made it to Weaver Point (which is at the lake) by lunch and I made upside down trail cheesecake. I've been waiting all tour to pull that out of my pack. It was rather delicious.
A park service boat picked us up and took us across to the Stehekin landing. We get to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. A couple hikers shared their six pack with us- they said we looked like we needed it when we rolled in w/ our big packs and covered in dirt. Made dinner reservations at the landing restaurant, ran into Barbara who we saw at Holden yesterday. She was sent on a fire assignment as the public info officer. Funny thing is they closed Company Creek trail for potential danger from the sable fire. We were just there and had no idea how big the fire was, but no one called us.
On our boatride across, we got a little tour, and the driver showed us some pictographs on a cliff wall above the water. That was pretty neat.
Dinner was amazing, complete with rhubarb pie, then we went to a party with the parkies. A couple was celebrating their birthdays, and they celebrated mine as well. It was a fun triple threat birthday party I got to tag on to. By the wee hours of the morning, only the trail crews and one lone ranger were left standing. Bizarro with the trail crews. We each have a counterpart. Mine is Gretchen- who is the girl on their crew, with curly red hair. The only difference in our crews is that they get to use chain saws.
Best Birthday ever, more than I expected from being out on the trails.

Day 10.
Woke up at 630 and went on a morning 1.5 mile jaunt with Kenny to the bakery. Fresh cinnamon rolls and coffee!
It's weird that this is the end of the summer and I'm returning to civilization. Stehekin is very peaceful. Now that the trek is over, I would very much like to just stay out her in the wild. It's amazing how quickly we forget the painful parts and only remember the good.
Napped on the boatride (after finishing knitting a sleeve to my knitting project), filled out my exit paperwork at the office, returned all my gear (I had two piles going 'mine' and 'not mine', my pile was tossed haphazard everywhere in the car) then The Boss took us out for milkshakes as a farewell birthday send off to me.
And then it was over. just like that. I dropped Kristain off and said 'see you later' and it felt like we were just on another four day weekend and we'd all be back at the station on Tuesday with stories of our adventurous weekends and ready to play in the wild again on our next trail mission.
Instead, I went back to Aunt Kathryn's, enjoyed an amazing send off dinner there, and got ready to leave Chelan for good in the morning. But I hope to be back next summer. The Boss asked me 'did you like it?' I said yes, 'well if you want a job again it's here'.

Tour 7

(Sent into Agnes Creek again. 2 days ahead of a horse pack group led by the Courtney's- a big name in Stehekin- it's called hike it and like it. The hikers go, their stuff gets packed. And we unfortunate ones get to haul ourselves and our stuff ahead of them to make sure the horses can get through)

Day 1. Office Day
Apparently we needed to sharpen tools and bs for a day. By 1100 we had everything done and all of our trip prep complete so our boss took pity on us and let us go home early to pack. - I get the suspisionthat they give us an office day every so often because they think it's good for our health.-
Whole afternoon to pack, so I read a book, went swimming, started a knitting project, got groceries in the evening, read some more, and finally packed around 10 pm.

Day 2.
Stopped by the Stehekin bakery on our way to the trailhead. Hitched a ride from a park service ranger. Pizza and a stehekin sticky bun made an excellent lunch. Our boss wanted us to hike 12 miles this afternoon- we're supposed to clear the trail (which we were just on the trip before last) for a horse pack group. Felt like we were being sent on a fools errand.
Ran into a huge mess 4 miles up. We get angry when we're hiking a trail that's been cleared, aren't expecting work, and find a lot of it.
This huge tree had broken apart right down the middle of the trail. Giant sections of tree obliterating the path. A couple hikers passing by lent a hand and helped us move one section. That was pretty awesome- wouldn't of moved it otherwise. Axed through another chunk to move it. 3 hours to clear one big tree. Around 7, when we finished, we made it only one more mile and made camp. So much for the boss's plan. That tree kicked our collective ass.

Day 3.
Kristian's on vaca this tour so it's just me and the guys, and I wouldn't necessarily call what they do as work.
We slept in today after a 13 hour day yesterday. That was fine with me. But they really meant sleeping in. camp was packed by noon and we were just hanging around reading. Halden volunteered to clear one easy tree we left yesterday solo. So Kenny and I sat by the creek and read a couple more hours. Had a really late lunch, then at 3 they decide its time to go the rest of the 12 miles to camp at a place called Hemlock where our work starts. 7 mile evening hike.
The Lyman volunteer wilderness ranger, Tressa, was sent to help us work the PCT and we met her at camp this evening. Enjoyed conversation with a new person, and at our campfire tonight she read a story from her book 'Desert Solitaire'. We enjoy campfire readalouds. We also amused Tressa as Halden bartered some freeze dried veggies for some of the pudding I had brought (I don't think she thought it was an equal trade, but it definitely was.)
Agnes has many berries on the trail which tempered the hike, as I walked I had to pause every now and then for some huckleberries, some thimbleberries, and I found some salmonberries (although those aren't very enjoyable). I actually enjoyed the hike this time- my pack only weighed in at 50 lbs w/ out tools -yay!- and for once I don't have the saw strapped to my pack. It's rather nice. (Kenny's pack only weighs 45 lbs and I don't know how he does it. I'm determined to eventually get my pack that light). No real complaints on the trail aside from the pulaski trying to hit me in the head from where it was strapped to my pack.

Day 4.
We moved camp around noon- 2 miles up the PCT so we'd be closer to our work. Talk about a nonmotivational day. It was nice to hike w/ Tressa. We took our time enjoying berries and swapping stories on our hike up.

Kenny had the brilliant idea this afternoon to go on a 'family' fishing trip to some lakes that looked like a good bushwack over a ridge. We talked about it for a while, and all the results were negative: it looked steep, there might not be fish, we might not find the lakes... but we are young and crazy and decided to go for it.

It was a very steep climb up the mountainside. Jumping from tree to tree, hanging on to willow branches, scrambling up dry creek beds, at times crawling on all fours. One false summit, then a snowfield and a boulderfield to traverse, and we were on top of the world.
It was amazing up there. We could look down into the basin and across where clouds were rolling over the lip of the peaks and hanging there suspended like a foamy waterfall.
We hound our lakes-Banock Lakes- but were stopped from climbing down to them when we ran into a cliff. Sheer drop down to the lakes.
Kenny dropped his pack and fell into the heather, and within five seconds all three of us (Kenny, Tressa, and I) were sprawled in the meadow, staring up at the blue sky with a sweet breeze flowing over us thinking 'This is not a bad life'.
We lay there in the evening sun for awhile, dreading the steep climb down, but eventually, we knew we had to leave our spot of heaven.
The climb down was just as adventurous as the climb up: skiing down a snowfield, falling from one tree into the next, letting go hoping you'd catch the next branch, slipping and sliding down the duff, belaying down facing the cliff, lowering yourself from one handful of willows to the next. Miraculously we traversed far enough across the slope that we slid right into camp, thoroughly pleased with ourselves.
We once again enjoyed our campfire, exchanging adventure stories (Tressa had many good climbing ones). Halden had someone new to tell all his stories to. Kenny and I would start giggling at the start of each story and Tressa, by the end of the evening, started predicting the end of every story. With Halden, it's like going on a long roadtrip and after driving a ways, realizing you only brought one cd to listen to and you have hours of road ahead of you.
Tressa and I were lying right next to the fire listening to the sounds of the woods and Kenny's ipod- earphones dangling in a pot amplifying the tinny sound, with Kenny and Halden adding their musical overtones to the mix. I started stargazing, but the moon was so bright you couldn't see any starts, so I was just gazing, up at the deep sky, just enjoying being in the woods.

Day 5.
Work? Oh right, that's why we're out here. We moved a couple boulders, then took our packs with us as we worked our way across the PCT and over cloudy pass to Lyman Lake. Tressa and I took a short cut (or at least we cut some switchbacks out of our lives) by staying up on the PCT and cutting across Suattle pass trail over to Cloudy. From there it was a quick drop into Lyman where we jumped into Tressa's 6 man cook tent to hide from the cold chill.
We sat around drinking tea, reading, and planning a dinner party while we waited for the guys to show up. They found us there a couple hours later curled up in sleeping bags cozy as can be.
Our dinner party was amazing. It took a little more effort and thinking than we really wanted to put into it (we were tired from the trek) but it was worth it. We made a stir fry compiling all the dried veggies we had, mixed in some beef jerky and chicken in a pouch, threw in some Asian noodles, and topped it off w/ soy sauce and peanut butter. We were quite pleased with the result, and for dessert we mixed up pistachio chocolate pudding. We can be quite creative with the limited supply from our packs (aided greatly by Tressa's cache of food). Then we enjoyed the evening w/ another chapter from Desert Solitaire- one man's rant against industrial tourism, and of his love of national park gems.

Day 6. Camp Day.
We hung out w/ Tressa for another day. Woke up late. Made a pancake breakfast. The boys surprised us by cleaning up the cook tent, so we left them to it and went to rehabilitate a campsite.
Wiled away the afternoon reading, knitting, fishing, and enjoying life. Tressa's front yard is a pond, a grassy field and a lake. What a life. I sat by the lake edge knitting, watching Kenny fish and Tressa wade out to join him for a fishing lesson. I was just enjoying the rhythm of life at the moment: the needles flowing, the cast of the line, the reel in, a happy bee buzzing in a mountain bog flower, the sunshine, the cool breeze, sitting by a glacier lake with a waterfall on one side, completely surrounded by peaks. This is life. This is how it should be. To enjoy the simplest things and our only serious thoughts are planning a meal with fish and figuring out what ingredients we can conjure from our packs to make a feast.
I can see why Tressa volunteered to be a wilderness ranger, she has an amazing job- just living by a lake for a few months and chatting w/ hikers who pass through.
I went fishing w/ Tressa again in the afternoon. We didn't catch anything, but we still enjoyed wading out into the lake and casting. It's like sitting on the bank throwing rocks into the water- you're not accomplishing anything, but it's still enjoyable.
Kenny caught 3 fish and we made a feast: fish cooked on the fire w/ polenta cakes and rice w/ veggies as sides. We took everything out to the campfire and enjoyed the night by the flame. We made an amazing apple pie over the fire for dessert too! It's awesome compiling our food w/ Tressa's stores and being creative with our concoctions.

Day 7.
We did a bit of work. Spent the day brushing the Lyman trail. Did all of the work in one long day. We partially explored an old mineshaft, and ate lunch on a giant's staircase. A couple of hikers we met at Lyman met us at the bottom of the trail and said they appreciated our work. At least this time I was not miserable gardening in the woods- it was cloudy and there were occasional berries to pick. Of course- right when we finished the rain poured out from the clouds that had been creeping over the peaks for the past few days.
It rained all night. We hid out in Tressa's cook tent reading and listening to the patter (Tressa had moved camp down to Hart Lake and Holden village a day ahead of us, so we were chilling in her camp w/out her).

Day 8.
And it rained.
We were out of work and it looked like the guys were just going to sit there all day inside the tent, so I said I'd rather sit at Holden. They were fine with me going by myself, but by afternoon decided they wanted to hang out in the village also. We waited till 3 so that we could sneak past Barbara- who was camping at Hart Lake.
No need to be sneaky though, as she was already back at Holden, so we had to deal w/ her anyway. We had grand schemes to meet up with Tressa again and have ourselves a party at the guard station and eat all the toast in Holden.
We did get a hook up to make ourselves banana boats in the village kitchen. Raided their supplies and created a masterpiece of marshmallows, bananas and chocolate butterscotch. Enjoyed too much toast and camped on Patti's porch (at the guard station).

Day 9.
The rain came at 630 this morning. The three of us on the porch exploded into the guard station- giving Patti a good shock and a good laugh. We sprawl out on the floor to sleep more, but Barbara soon came in, so no more sleep.
Tressa left for her days off in civilization, and Barbara proceeded to give us too many options of work to do. We already had a plot though, but while we listened Kenny wrote up a list of the things she was saying along w/ a few other ideas which included among other things: arson, hiking to Stehekin for the bakery, and escaping to Canada.
Our original plot we carried out however, which was to climb up Copper Basin. We heard the views were great, so Kenny and I headed up there, we had a plan to scramble up Mount Furno- we were also sort of brushing the trail. It was a nice hike- however, the peak was shrouded in clouds and we decided against trying to kill ourselves summitting in the rain. Instead we spent the afternoon back at Holden, enjoying their hospitality: hot shower, toast, tie dyed t-shirts, mexican food-it's Mexican week at Holden- a mariachi band, tea, and plenty of time to hang out reading and eating toast in comfort. We also got to hit up the icecream bar and hung out in the game room, reading the walls, eating popcorn, the guys played pool, and we watched an open mic show.

Day 10.
Back to the world again. Barbara drove us down to the dock early in the morning, so we went over to the Lesmeister's (they are caretakers of the Lucerne landing and live in a forest service cabin by the lake). Their cabin is gorgeous! It's homey, and comfortable. Built by a CCC crew sometime 50 years ago or so. They have a lovely green lawn w/ a garden. A little haven in the woods. We enjoyed conversation with them while waiting for the boat.
The boss tried to talk us to death when we got back to the station, but eventually, we were released home to large meals with lots of meat and Fresh vegetables as well as hot showers with Soap and being able to lean back in a chair that had a comfortable back to it.

Tour 6

Day 1.
Had to wake up at an ungodly hour to be at the station by 630. Gear packed and we drove 2 hours to meet the horse packers at Buttermilk Creek (I napped). It was so nice not to carry our packs up and over the pass. The hike itself was rather boring- not pretty views or interesting things to see. But it was semi redeemed by a few huckleberries along the trail.

The actual pass is pumice scree and a great view across the valley. At the top Kenny says "It's choose your own path", and proceeds to skid straight down the slope.

We are camping at Star Lake (it should be called a pond). It's in a pretty meadow area.

Tonight we feasted. Because we were being horse packed in the first 6 miles we brought along a fancy dinner: steak fajitas w/ rice and peppers and fresh veggies. Corn on the cob and potatoes steamed in foil over the fire. It was an epic meal, and it got even better w/ dessert. Halden had told us about something called a banana boat on our last trip and it made us all drool, so we had them tonight and they are melty goodness: a split banana, butterscotch and chocolate chips, nuts and marshmallows all wrapped up in foil and melted on the coals. Joyness. Round 2 we made them flambe.. (we've decided our word for this trip is epic, because so far everything is).

Cooking things on the fire can be exciting, especially when a banana boat is involved and someone is poking the fire. Halden warned them 'don't make Natalie cry or a black cloud will follow us' as I was very anxious about wood being pushed around and I almost lost a tinfoil wrap of goodness. (but I was happy in the end).

My newest toy is a Big Agnes sleeping pad. (I gave Kristian my therma rest and I think she is now converted to air). 2.5 inches of air, and it packs down to the size of a football. I am going to sleep so well. Food coma and comfy mattress- someone's sleeping in tomorrow.

Day 2.
We all slept in this morning- had to drag myself away from my mattress. We had another feast for breakfast- biscuits w/ sausage gravy. Ate so much we became lethargic and layed around camp the rest of the morning reading books. (I love the fact that we eat well after having good food all weekend, and before we're really starving yet).

In the afternoon Kristian and I went on a hike w/ tools. We saw a lot of marmots everywhere. Our destination was Surprise Lake, but it never surprised us. Somehow, we lost the trail. One moment we were on it, and then it disappeared. We oriented ourselves on the map and tried to hike over a ridge in hopes to meet up w/ the trail again. No luck. On the bright side we summited Baldy Mountain. Unintentionally. We figured if we got up there, the lake would be on the other side. I felt like a mountain goat as we clambered up and traversed the peak (surprisingly I only slipped once). We finally figured it had to be over 1 more ridge and we could see part of the trail below- but we were completely baffled at how we lost the trail in the first place, and why it didn't match up to the drawing on the map.

We stayed on the ridgetop that led over to the pass where we caught up w/ the trail and dropped back down to camp.- on the ridge we found a giant cairn, literally in the middle of nowhere w/ no trails around it.

Upon returning to camp we discovered from Kenny that the actual junction was marked and further down the trail and what we took must have been some unused path to a camp. Oh well. We went swimming in the pond and felt better about life.

Kenny went to climb a couple of peaks, but we stayed back, we had already climbed our peak for the day. He was our evening entertainment though- every once in a while he'd chuck big rocks off Star Peak and we'd cheer the rocks on hoping they'd hit the water- none did- the highest score was a 9. It was like having a fireworks display.

Finished off the evening playing cards (still haven't beaten Kristian at Egyptian Ratscrew). This time the guys won at cribbage- war is on. And we ate s'mores and popcorn- last night before we split down the North and South forks of the Summit Trail.

Day 3.
The mosquitoes made the morning very unenjoyable- so we packed up camp and left. On top of the pass again, we could see storm clouds brewing in the distance. Made it to the correct junction today, and as we were contemplating what to do next, a thunderstorm hit. We sat on our hard hats in the woods and waited it out. Second time this season a storm was directly above us. The thunder would boom, then echo thru all the valleys and canyons- it sounded like bombs were being dropped- and then it hailed.

The storm cleared for a bit so we set up camp where we were (we only moved 2 miles today). Then we went on a hike w/ tools to clear to where we'll camp tomorrow. In a heavily wooded area, we were surprised to find no work. We hiked to the Prince Creek shelter. It's a neat shelter- 3 walls, bunks and table still intact.

Just as we make it back to camp thunder rumbles again and another storm passes over. This time we hide out in our tents (the booms added dramatic effect to my book which has bombings in it). The ground was jumping w/ hail. I eventually dozed off- defense mechanism- can't be hurt if I'm asleep. The evening was quiet, but the clouds are still brewing. We're hoping for clear skies so we can swim in Surprise Lake when we finally find it.

Day 4.
We finally found work- 3 logs on the Surprise Lake trail. Got to the lake finally and it was drizzling. Of course by the time we climbed back up the ridge it was sunny and the lake looked real nice, and we were 2 miles away.

Packed up and moved camp to the Prince Creek shelter- no tent for me, I'm sleeping inside. Wiled away the afternoon reading, and daydreaming, and napping. I've already had to ration the pages in my book- I read too much the first 2 days, didn't expect so much down time. I'm definitely caught up on naps now.

Yet another thunderstorm rolled thru midafternoon. We watched it from our shelter, had a nice campfire and played our ghetto version of cribbage- I think it's the best way to play. Hopefully the storms are done w// us, and I hope to find something crafty to do like whittle. Eating to compensate for boredom is not a pastime I can indulge in our here (however much I might want to).

We have an entertaining time checking in on the radio. Every am and pm so they know we're alive. They have the hardest time understanding us- once again they think we're in 'French Creek' instead of 'Prince'- I don't think french creek even exists. We're in the woods, that's all that matters.

Day 5.
Every morning we play the game 'How much shit can I shove into my brain' (they double as our daypacks). Ready to go and after a few feet I realized I forgot to put on my boots.

Kristian had a pretty epic fall right in the middle of a creek we were crossing (I slipped on the way back, but I stayed standing and only soaked my boots. They will be fun to put on in the morning).
We got our quota of 3 logs. Hiked up a pass at the wilderness boundary. The meadows are marmot land- such bizarre land beavers. There should be a sign saying 'Here there be Marmots'. They are quite sneaky as they stand perfectly still on top of a boulder and stare at you.

We hiked up to Boiling Lake- after taking a mile and a half detour the wrong way at the junction. The water was nice, but the sun wouldn't stay out long enough, so no swimming. We were surprised to enjoy spending a nice break at the lake. Absolutely no mosquitoes.

We met some dirt bikers and some mountain bikers. It was a mind trip to be out of the wilderness, but still in the woods, and see people on vehicles.

The view from the top of the pass was amazing. It's neat to look at the landscape and say "there's the peak we climbed, and the ridge we clambered across, there's the pass we took yesterday, there's the valley we'll be in tomorrow.' These mountains aren't just a pretty view anymore, we've been in them and they're alive to us.

I set up my tent tonight after sleeping in the shelter last night. I heard a critter in there and was certain it was gnawing on my gear, and I definitely heard it mowing down on a bunk post. There's something strangely comforting about being enclosed in four walls. You might wake up to critters, but there's a thin fabric separating you instead of air, and that makes all the difference (they can't crawl over you then). (I also set up my tent in the middle of the trail again, it seems to be what I do best).

Day 6.
Moved camp once more. As we hiked we started to see a burn area, then we saw huckleberries lining the path, and then a bear ran into the woods and we knew we were home in Prince Creek.

Our campsite is perfect. Waterfalls w/ swimming holes nearby, huckleberries right outside my tent, sun shining thru the trees to dry our stuff, rocks by the waterfall to sunbathe on and huckleberries EVERWHERE you turn- life doesn't get much better than this.

I unintentionally found a swimming hole. I accidentally knocked my waterbottle while we were lying on the rocks and it went skittering down the boulders and into the creek. I scrambled after it and saw it was floating in an eddy. As I was trying to figure out how to get to it, my foot slipped on the rocks. All Kristian heard was a small scream and few minutes later I reappear on the rocks w/ my waterbottle in hand, soaking wet. We couldn't stop laughing. I had found a nice waterslide, got a bath, and rescued my waterbottle (which was floating right in front of me when I popped out of the water). Later on today when we finished work (which was brushing, I hate brushing. And we got a few logs- I was getting used to carrying the saw around as a shoulder ornament). I went swimming again, this time intentionally down my rock slide.

And I am in Huckleberry Heaven! There are absolutely everywhere and fill me with joy and sweet goodness.

Day 7.
We had huckleberries in our granola and I made huckleberry tea. We were gardening in the woods for the 1st half of the day. It wasn't so bad because we were mostly in the shade and every once in a while we'd pause and pick a few thimbleberries. I was so happy they were ripe.

We then trudged back up the mile and a half to our camp to a late lunch- it was a power walk. Headed straight for my waterslide, ate lunch, layed around in the sun for a while and felt a little better about life.

Our next mission was to clear the trail up to Cub Lake. It was painful. I was really tired after lunch for some reason & grumpy to find a big log to move when I had gambled on not bringing the saw, so I had to go back and get it. I think both of us had heat exhaustion. I was dying in my work clothes and was considering hiking naked, and I was annoyed for no reason.

1.5 miles, climbed 1500 ft. and we finally made it to the lake. I went straight in, and then stood chest deep in the lake for 20 minutes while we waited for the iodine to treat our water. Life was getting better, although now I am biased against the Cub Lake trail, but the lake is amazing, and there are fish in it.

We made it back to camp around 7. It was a long day. I put on my camp clothes and go to get water for dinner. I needed to keep moving, or else I'd crash and dinner would never be made.
And then I go for another swim- this time I didn't want to swim.

I headed straight to the creek for water, and I had the thought 'this rock might be slippery' but I brushed it off, I figured I wouldn't step on the wet part. I had our 2 big pots and my 2 waterbottles in my hands. I crouch down by the water, and the next thing I know, I'm in it.

The rocks formed a little bowl into a waterfall, and I floundered around in this bowl for a few moments trying to get a purchase all the while thinking 'oh god, oh god, I'm in the waterfall!' I finally grab a piece of rock, pull myself up a little, and then slip over that rock straight down the waterfall (I think it was maybe 10-12 ft). I let out a scream as I went down, and somehow kept clutching my waterbottles. I popped up near my eddy by my waterslide and struggled against the current to get in the calm water and into shallower water where I can stand. I pull myself up onto a rock and just sit for a moment, legs dangling in the creek.

Remarkably, the only thing hurt was my finger which had been hooked thru the lids of my waterbottles. The river gods took the pots. Kristian appears on the rocks because she heard my scream. She sees me once again soaking wet down by my water slide and laughs. Then I point to to the waterfall and she is in disbelief. Luckily we still had Kristian's small pot to cook in, although dinner was slow, and we had to eat out of our helmets.

When I crawled back out of the rocks I still had to fill my waterbottles, but this time I went high up where I could catch myself in a pool if I slipped again. I had to put my work clothes back on though, which made me very unhappy, but my camera (which lives in my pocket) still works! I consoled myself about life by adding huckleberries to my chocolate pudding. Now I just need sleep so life can be good again.

Day 8.
I could easily enjoy life as a bear. We were working on our ceonothis deforestation project again (gardening in the woods isn't so bad when you can actually see you're making a difference). There really is a trail under the brush. We also got to enjoy more huckle and thimble and black raspberries. I love this trail! It is full of yummy surprises.

We only worked half the day, then spent the hot part of the day bathing in the creek and sunbathing (I avoided the waterfall area- although w/ a life vest, swimming waterfalls could be a fun game). I then spent 3 hours in the afternoon pleasantly picking huckleberries. I filled a gallon ziplock 2/3 full. My hands are berry stained, so is the rest of me, and I have happy dreams of making cobblers w/ my spoils. I meandered around the trail picking in the shady spots and moving when the sun came and I hardly made a dent in all the bushes of joy.

We are amazed at how hot it is in the mountains. Sleeping outside my bag, w/ my tent windows open.

Day 9.
We got a distressing radio call this morning telling us we needed to hike out and catch the boat today. We were pissed. We had a plan, and it did not involve hiking in the heat of the day w/ no shade. We were six miles out from the dock.

Our plan was to work in the morning and finish our ceonothis project, dink around all afternoon, and then hike down to the dock in the evening when it was cooler and camp there, then catch the boat tomorrow.

Apparently not though. So we grumpily packed up and trudged down. We didn't use the cottonwood to cross the creek this time. The water was so low we walked across (but we used sticks to stabilize ourselves). the water was knee deep in the middle. The trail was very hot and we were unhappy, we also ran into our quota of 3 logs. (It's surprising that we got more logs on this trail which we had already cleared, than on the rest of the summit trail).

Chelan was a nice cool temperature so we swam while we waited for the boat. Once we saw it we started waving our shirts to flag it down. We were a little worried it wouldn't see us and we would be left in the woods. But we were rescued once again. Our boss picked us up from the boat and we got him to stop for icecream (He also told us the message the boys gave us to come out a day early was for them, not us. Instead we came downlake, and they got to goof off in stehekin for another day and eat at the restaurant and bakery). Oh well. We at least were back to the comforts of home.

I also had my huckleberries. Which I had carefully packed in my helmet and put at the top of my pack to protect them on the trip downlake. And I made an amazing huckleberry crisp topped w/ whipped cream and icecream.

Day 10.

We had to drive to pick up our truck which we left at the Buttermilk trailhead. We got a little lost, and I wasn't much help as a navigator because I had been asleep on the way up the first time.
We drove past some cows w/ their little moos tagging along behind them. We also drove up into a rainstorm in the mountains, but back to the heat when we returned to Chelan.

I shared my huckleberries w/ the rest of the office, and we did random things all afternoon until we picked up the guys from the dock. We exchanged trail stories of thunderstorms and heat and we made them feel bad for making us spend a day in the office. Then we booked it out of there as fast as we could before our boss got back so we wouldn't be stuck there another hour while he talked.

And with all my huckleberries I shared them w/ my hosts and we had huckleberry pancakes, huckleberry muffins, and huckleberries over icecream. I also got to enjoy a musical called "I love you, you're perfect, now change" That Aunt Kathryn is the pianist for.

Tour 5

Day 1.

The Stehekin bakery lives up to its fame. The entire town of Stehekin is a mind trip, and I wish we had time to explore, but off we went on the Agnes Creek Trail.

There were 3 bear sightings today, but I missed all the fun. I was the slow one. My pack weighs 55 lbs again (minus tools, so it's probably now 65 lbs). I was not a happy camper. But Agnes is a nice trail, I might have enjoyed the hike to 5 mile camp if it weren't for my pack. For once a trail is gradual- it doesn't go straight UP like Fish and Prince and every other trail. there are huckleberries everywhere and lots of other neat plants to identify.

I like that our first 2 days of the trip we're just hiking to our work spot. We've got a good distance to cover, about 30 miles, and by the end of it we'll be down at Holden.

Aunt Kathryn sent homemade goodies w/ me for the crew- bread and cookies. We were very happy. It made our first dinner really good.

Day 2.

Finished the 12 mile hike to where we'll start work. I kept tricking my body to think the pack was light by loosening all the straps and then cinching everything up real tight a few steps up the path.

We played scategories and the alphabet game as we hiked to pass the time.

Our campsite has a nice boulder we were trying to traverse. Kenny brought his climbing shoes, but failed to tell us we should bring our shoes. Halden laughed as he watched TV- three of us climbing across this boulder.

I made a really good pot of chili mac n cheese. The pot was overflowing, and now my pack is 2.5 lbs lighter. Although I had to haul everything 12 miles and now we'll base here for a couple, three nights, but it will be lots easier to carry in a few days.


Day 3.

Brrr! It was really cold this morning. I could see my breath. Some trash had been thrown in the fire pit and was smoking, so we went ahead and lit a morning fire.

Logged out the South Fork of Agnes. Almost made it to Cloudy Pass, it was a half mile further. But Kristian said we should turn around (we were a good 5 miles away from camp).

The skeeters were bad. We doused ourselves in Deet- grudgingly. And I had a nice bug snack on the way down the trail. Inhaled quite nicely.

We asked Halden for a tree fort because he stayed back in camp today, but all we got was some firewood and a bench to sit on by the fire. I was disappointed.

Some spikes were sniffing around camp- apparently looking for pee. Kristian & I weren't aware we shouldn't pee by our tents. Apparently the thing to do is pee by someone elses tent and have the deer pawing around and bothering them at night.

Kenny, Kristian and I were hobbling around like old people tonight. Our ten mile hike took it out of us- even though we just had day packs.


Day 4.

Logged out the PCT today. Crawled thru a cave that looked interesting.

3 miles up the trail the trees open up and we were in a basin filled w/ snow. Peaks all around us & an avalanche field of snow to crawl over. I let Kenny & Kristian try to find the trail while I gaped at the view. By the time we found the trail it was time to head back. We had hiked quite a ways up the snow. Kenny asks "You guys good at skiing?" & he slides down the mountain. We followed, although it was slightly difficult with a crosscut. You'd think it might help w/ balance- but it didn't.

We entertained ourselves tonight by climbing on our boulder, and Kenny read aloud some of the twisted fables from his book 'The Book of Lost Tales'.

I have to ration my book like my food. This trip it's 'One flew over the cookoo's nest', and to make it last I only get 30 pages per night.

Day 5.

I got to play in the mud today! Kristian and I were fixing some really eroded tread (the guys were brushing the PCT- we had the better deal). The trail had a creek going thru it. Creek on trail and a huge puddle in the middle that you could sit in and take a bath.
I really like playing in the mud. I built a nice water bar and for part of the day took off my boots, rolled up my pants and waded thru the creek collecting rocks (and I played barefoot in the mud).

We shared a Mountainhouse raspberry dessert tonight and it was heaven. One spoonful and you passed the bag around until it was all gone. (We cannot wait to have icecream again at Holden).

Our TV tonight was watching Kenny try to juggle a fuel can (and beat himself up w/ it). Then we played cribbage- counting points w/ pine needles (1 pt), twigs (5 pts) and small rocks (50 pts). Classic teams of guys against girls- and we owned them.

Day 6.
Moved camp to Cloudy Pass. Kristian and I went in the morning, got rained on in the middle- the guys waited until after the rain to hike up. Took a break at 2 miles and we were drenched. It was really humid. Then rain came and we were soaked from inside out, and outside in. Otherwise, the hike was nice. Our packs felt real good w/ a few days less food in them. the sun broke thru by lunch when we got to the junction- switched to dry clothes and we were mobbed by mosquitoes. No relief- and the clouds were coming in again.

We rushed to pitch tents and escape the cold and bugs. The best flat spot was right at the trail junction- in the middle of the trail- and that is where my tent went. Then I ducked into Kristian's tent and we drank tea and played cards to pass the afternoon.

We got brave (and warm again) by mid afternoon and took a joy hike up cloudy pass. 1 mile and 29 switchbacks. The views were spectacular. As we neared the top we heard a rumble, just our luck, but made it anyway to see the view. We were right above Lyman Lake and Lyman Glacier. A wicked storm was brewing over those mountains, we watched it for a few minutes, then rain and thunder followed us down the pass.

The guys had set up camp by this time- they took their time and found a nice spot in the woods. We all enjoyed drying off by the fire, and Kenny read us more bed time stories from his book of twisted fables.

At one point I hiked back to my tent to get my fleece and some water, the storm had passed (at least the rain) and I saw fog rolling down the hills. We sat around the fire watching the fog roll in, drop thru the trees and surround us as we played musical chairs around the fire to avoid the smoke.

There is a cold chill in the air and the sky still rumbles as Kristian and I go back to our exposed tents in the trail, surrounded by mist.

-Our wildlife today was a rabbit w/ white socks bolting thru camp while we ate breakfast, and a fat marmot creature up cloudy pass.

Day 7.
Woke up cold and the world was wet. We slept in- didn't want to leave our warm bags. I started reading for a while in my tent before I remembered I've had some bad experiences doing that first thing in the morning (dehydration) so I grudgingly put on ALL of my layers and we went over to the campfire the guys had just got going.

We sat around the fire until about noon feeling sorry for ourselves. Then Kristian and I decided to see how far up the PCT we could get- it beat sitting in camp. We hiked until we saw blue- smiled at it, and kept going until we saw sunshine- for just a moment, and I started singing John Denver 'Sunshine on my Shoulders'. We hiked until we met up with ourselves from the other side. We tried to take the blue back with us as we trudged over snowfields, but the fog in our valley kept it at bay- until tonight, when we thought we might have seen the sky, just maybe.

As we work we count logs- today we got 30, and now we count falls as well. I have a tendency to trip and fall on the trail, mud, snow, accidentally kicking a root. The counting game started a few weeks ago (for me) but today we were pretty even with slipping on the snow- Hear a thud, Kristian 'Is that 2 today?", me 'no, I'm already at 5', Kristian "Man, you're 3 ahead of me', and then she slips.

The boys kept the fire going all day- but they didn't build me a tree for like I had requested. I was very disappointed in them. But we did appreciate drying off by the fire (playing musical chairs again). Keeping the chill at bay as we dream of getting to Holden and eating icecream and real food.

Day 8.
The wind was whipping thru the valley all morning. I was curled up in my sleeping bag- hearing it thwap against the tent, threatening to blow the tent and me away.

We packed up camp, so chilly, but the wind brought us sunshine! Kristian and I finished logout on the PCT and looped around Suattle pass- I felt like a mountain goat clambering over rocks on the steep slope w/ my pack on- then over the top of Cloudy Pass. The views were spectacular once again- this time w/ sun. We said hello to another marmot- it scurried across the meadow and I called 'marmot marmot' and it looked at me.

Over the pass by Lyman Lake we scouted out a campsite, then took a short break before working on a spur trail. I sat on a log and had my own personal mosquito genocide.

We thought it was cold on our side of the pass, but this side, while sunny, has a bite to it. We're only 9 miles out from Holden now. We decided to get there Wed. night so we can have dinner there- so tonight we all OD on dinner and ate 2 each- all our remaining food. It's time for a food coma now.

Day 9.
Woke up to mosquitoes saying 'we want breakfast!'. Sat on a log huddled in my rain gear and had another mosquito genocide. Then someone had the brilliant idea to eat while pacing- 4 people wandering back and forth around the campsite w/ a trail of mosquitoes behind us.

We hiked up to the upper Lyman Lakes to check them out and see the glacier up close. It is minuscule, but still a glacier. Then all the way to Holden! We stopped at Hart Lake for lunch. First thing when we got there dropped packs and jumped in. Hard to believe we were cold and miserable a couple days ago. The last 4 mile stretch to Holden dragged on because we knew we were close, but we still had a ways to go, and it was hot. Hiking in Tevas made it better.

Gorged ourselves on a Holden dinner until we were sleepy. Layed on the grass drinking tea and reading until icecream time. Then watched "Yes Man" with the village. We love Holden's hospitality. Good food, hot shower, late night snacks at the bread bar (and they have a giant bowl full of Fresh bananas!)

Day 10.
Freedom. Took the fast boat out of the woods. Got out of the office as quick as we could to get to home where a shower, hot food (and lots of it), and a comfy bed awaited.

Tour 4

(More training, then uplake finally to Prince Creek where we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!)
Day 1.
Working 23 days w/ only a 2 day break in the middle. It sucks, and it still involves horrible training.

Kristian and I had first aid already so we lucked out and only had to get re certified in CPR in the afternoon. We did odd jobs until then: took the Tahoe to get an oil change. Walked back to the office. Checked out a bookstore. Took a drive to echo ridge. Cleaned some toilets and did trash detail. Got milkshakes. Then to the dreaded CPR class.

Day 2.
Please! No more training. District Orientation today- then defensive driving. The only good thing was we got to see everyone who works in our district, and there was a potluck lunch.

I spent the time practicing napping w/ my eyes open. It didn't work so well, so I just let my imagination wander to more creative ideas.

I think they taught us how to back up a vehicle in defensive driving. I can't really recall. I doodled amoebas. Kristian was drawing a design for our t-shirts & as I started to draw she asked if I was helping. I explained that I was creating amoebas and she thought I was joking. She was impressed w/ my page of amoebas I had by the end of class.

Day 3.
Another office day- but it was trip prep. Communication is good. Day before the trip, we finally learn when we're leaving, where we're going, how long we'll be out, if we're in split groups, and who we're split w/. Kristian and I get to head up Prince Creek while the guys go to Domke Lake.

We spent the afternoon building a wallowa toilet, along w/ trying to convince the boss to buy us kayaks. Over the course of lunch and the afternoon, we developed a wonderful scheme that involved basing the crew out of Lucerne, matching bathing suits, opening up an icecream empire and ferrying people in our kayaks on our days off. The boss was not convinced, but we built a really cool toilet.
It is made out of cedar. The design is from a plan that was last revised in 1929. We thought that was pretty awesome, and by the end of the day (which we had to stay late to finish it) we had our wilderness toilet.
Then the boss took me swing dancing in Wenatchee! It was a sweet treat after the past week and a half of torture. And it's our last night in civilization before hitting the trail tomorrow, might as well dance.

Day 4.
My pack only weighs 40 lbs! I'm so proud of myself. Loading up this morning, Kristian hefted my pack to compare weight and was shocked. So was I (my pack is normally heavier than hers). So I pulled the scale out of the fire cache and our whole crew weighed in packs (mine was lightest). This was before tools were added though. (I was really glad for this on the hike up Prince Creek.)
Finally- into the woods again. Get dropped off at Prince Creek- walk the plank- and then the 4 mile hike was Brutal. We started at noon- wrong time of day, this area has burned a couple times, not much shade left, and it's our first time out w/ our mountain packs in a month. (We've gotten used to the soft life of base camps).

At mile four is a creek crossing w/ a broken bridge. We had a good scramble up and down the bank trying to find the best crossing. Finally settled on a cottonwood that had conveniently fallen straight across the creek. (We found it first, but continued our search for two hours to find a less risky crossing). Our mountain packs were too unbalancing so we had to make multiple trips across the log to get all our gear to the other side.

We like this side of the creek better. It has a sweet campsite on a sandy bank (that we envied the whole time we were trying to cross). Although the creek is loud and the constant sound of running water makes me have to pee constantly. We were beat when we finally sat down. We averaged about 1 mile/hour. And we even had a mile detour in the beginning when we went the wrong way looking for the trail junction. Slow moving as we got our bodies re hydrated and made camp.

Our bear tree branch broke as we tried to hang our food. That was an excitable moment. Didn't know we needed to wear helmets in camp.


Day 5. Legacy Log (Another log from Hell)
This time the log won.
We woke up excited for the trail on this side of the creek. 50 yards up a giant log was completely covering the path. We figured it would take until lunch. We were wrong.
It was probably 3 ft. in diameter. We could also see our tents below us the whole time we were working.
1st cut took 2 hours. Then we spent 2 hours using wedges and levers trying to make it move. After lunch we broke down and made a second cut. We tried every angle and combination of wedges and levers and it only budged a smidgen. We called defeat at 5. But we'll be back in the morning. One way or another we are going to make it move.



Day 6.
I found huckleberries! Maybe they'll be all the way ripe before we leave.

We spent another hour on our legacy log. Finally w/ chopping, levers, and turning green and muscling it- victory!
We got 8 logs today. Maybe made it 1/2 mile up the trail. Only two more before lunch. Every time we think it looks easy, the cut works, but moving the damn log is hell. We stopped at a nice mess of trees all piled jackstraw. All set to spend a day in that mess. Out of a reported 36 logs, we still have 28 to go and so far they are not small like we were told.

Kristian and I have a bet for how many visitors we'll see- it's for icecream. I said zero but she's hoping for at least 2. We're still hoping to see a bear and I think we have higher chances of that than seeing people.

Something bit me today-I was just minding my own business too. And I tried to squish my finger between the pulaski and a tree branch. It stings.

We had a nice campfire tonight. Pulled out the cards and played speed and Egyptian ratscrew.
In bed early again in my brand new tent! I love my tent- it's the first tent that's actually mine- I was sick of the faulty one I was issued. My new tent is very lightweight and still spacious.

Day 7.
We found more huckleberries! This time they were ripe. Snacked on them on the way up and collected more on our way back to save for dessert. I have this idea in my head to take some home and make huckleberry cobbler.

We got 20 logs today. Maybe 1/2 mile further up the trail. We joke that our productivity is increasing exponentially.
Still no bear. Or any signs of wildlife (aside from bugs & squirrels & birds). There aren't even mosquitoes.

A small bird yelled at me today, hopping from branch to branch. I was confused until I saw it's nest on a branch right by the trail. So I politely excused myself.

I finished catch 22 tonight and am now wrapped up in the count of Monte Cristo. Reading by the fire until dark.

Day 8.
Our work really is increasing exponentially. 32 logs today, 1/2 mile further up the trail, and maybe 1/2 mile left until we hit the junction. The numbers stand: 1st day-0- 2nd day- 3 before lunch, 8 total- 3rd day- 3 before break, 9 before lunch, 20 total- 4th day 9 before break, 22 before lunch, 32 total. We'll see what tomorrow has for us. (We did skip one log because a bee bit me while we were sawing. We'll sneak attack that log tomorrow morning while the bees are still asleep.)

Our trail is also heavily overbrushed. Ceonothis is sometimes taller than us and we lose the path. It's really bad when we're returning to camp on path we've trod on already today, and can't tell which way the path goes, there's just a wall of brush.

Since Barbara isn't w/ us this trip, we are going to compose a note on our boat ride asking her all of our random wilderness questions like: why is there beach sand on a ridge that is all rocky? She will love it.

On our trek back (we got more huckleberries), we were contemplating having to go on a special trip on our off days to see a bear. Kristian was saying w/ all the brush a bear might just be chilling and we'd walk by it w/ out even knowing, or walk right into it.
Right then I saw something brown moving 20 feet down the path in some brush. "It's a bear" I say. Kristian looks too and says "no, it's just the wind.' And then a bear walks into view across the path. We were thrilled.
We started whistling at it and talking to it asking it to please mozy along. It looked at us and slowly ambled up the hillside pausing now and then to watch us. I think it might have thought we were a strange, loud animal. I definitely got pics of it.
Our trip is complete now. We finally met our goal and saw a bear. It seems more realistic now to be on the watch for bears. Now the wilderness seems wild. We were glad it was a small bear and we saw it before beating down the brush and running into it.

We played more Egyptian ratscrew tonight while watching a single ant drag a mostly dead moth across the campsite. We were impressed by its strength- until it dragged the moth straight into a small plant and got stuck.

And we saw a bear today!

Day 9.
We finished logout today. 10 logs. We made it up to the trail junction and the wilderness boundary. We debated whether or not to hike another mile to cub lake, but it was hot and the hike looked steep so we decided against it.
Close to the boundary, we took lunch at a campsite and I found a social trail that led to a waterfall- it was a series of falls and chutes. It was pretty gorgeous. Tons of wildflowers.

We did a minor deforestation project on the ceonothis covering the trail. We gardened it clear to our huckleberry snack spot, collected more berries- I think we have enough for a cobbler- And whistled our way home hoping to see the bear again.

My squished/mangled finger keeps getting dirt in it, so I duct taped a cast over it. If dirt gets in there, I give up..

We are looking forward to hiking out tomorrow and having icecream and pizza. In that order. As soon as we get back.

Day 10.
We packed up camp. Then unpacked everything to ferry it across the creek. Multiple trips across our cottonwood. Repacked, and headed down the trail. We took care of 4 logs on our way down. They weren't there before, and one we had to saw above our heads. That was a little tough. But we also saw a very small fawn go boinging into the woods. Once more our only sign of wildlife.

I managed to trip and fall face first w/ my mountain pack on not once, but twice. Apparently one fall wasn't good enough for the trail. On the second fall my mountain pack was trying to drag me down the slope and I couldn't stand up by myself. But my knees and hands did a wonderful job of saving me from eating dirt.

We saw a jet cruise right through our valley. We were almost level w/ it on the trail. We thought wilderness was a no fly zone, but the jet didn't seem to care.

We were guessing what time we'd hit the trail junction, and we kept lowering our guesses. My guess was spot on at 12:03. 4 miles in about 2 hours. Much better time than on the way up. We enjoyed cruising by each shade spot we stopped at to rest on the way up. Going up, we'd pause every single shady spot. It was slow trudging, down was a breeze.

Left our packs at the junction and wandered over to the campground by the lake for lunch. Jumped off the dock a couple of times. Cold, but bearable, for a few seconds anyway. Just chilling for a couple hours waiting for the boat pick up.

The boss understands about icecream. He was coming downlake too and we insisted on making an icecream stop at Pat and Mike's (our favorite cashier was there as usual- he knew we were coming for icecream and he gives big scoops.) Then home to real food sunburned and scraped as usual, but perfectly contented w/ life.

Prince Creek is a really nice hike. I would recommend camping by the lake the first night and doing the first stretch early in the morning before the heat hits. There's a great campsite four miles up the trail. Lots of huckleberries in the next 2 mile section if you're hiking in July. No mosquitoes. A cool waterfall by a camp by the junction. Cross another footlog and you can either hit the summit trail, or head over to cub lake. It's a really gorgeous hike, one I wouldn't mind hiking for fun.


Day 11.
Once again, my week is not over yet. We did a few odd jobs. Sent some more tools up to the NYC crew that is working at our lovely camp in Fish Creek (Hell). The boss has decided to call the camp Dilly Dally camp after my suggestion.
In a safety meeting last week, I was bored, so I asked if 'dilly dally' is official forest service terminology because it's on a few signs I've seen that say 'Don't Dilly Dally in the drainages..' and explain that a fire had been through there and it's not safe to linger. The answer to my question was no, but when the signs were made, the boss was talking to someone, used that word, and it seemed to fit the message.
So we've built a camp in a drainage you're not supposed to 'dilly dally' in so I said we should call it that. The boss loved it and told the NYC crew that's the name of the camp, and then we here them check in today and they say their exact location and we cannot help but laugh. The whole forest listens to the radios and I wonder how many people are rather bemused that someone is calling from dilly dally camp, and where in hell it might be.

Kristian came over for dinner tonight and we made our huckleberry cobbler. It was fantastic.

Day 12.
And my week continues. But I get overtime today so I'm not really complaining. We started building another wallowa toilet yesterday, and I volunteered to finish it today. Put my carpenter skills to work and made a lovely wilderness toilet all by myself! (although I'm not quite patient when it comes to being exact w/ measuring and cutting straight, and lining things up straight, so my toilet is a little uneven and crooked, but it's going into the wilderness.)